Are my torsion axles weak?

[dusty b]

more silly questions. i bought this 1987 25' sovereign out of state and brought it home about 1200 miles with out any problems. took most everything out of it and was reading the posts about axles and thought i would check my axles. when i jack it up on either side it travels about 1.75-2.0 " tops. i know i have taken alot of weight out of it and the tanks are dry so would this be normal? i feel it's ok but hey a fellers gotta ask! dusty

[GeocamperAS]

I believe inlandrv.com has a very detailed artical explaining how to check the axles.

[A W Warn]

Here is a link to Andy's article - Dura Torque Axle

[dusty b]

i did read that but i did not get as much travel as he says being 3". however i am hundreds of pounds lighter so i thought this might have already taken some travel out of the suspension. raised the trailer in other words due to it being lighter. does this sound possible ? dusty

[TG Twinkie]

Crawl under the trailer, there are tags on the axles that give the date of manufacture. If they are original, chances are they will need replacement. I just replace the axles on my 26' Argosy and much to my surprise when I removed the old axles. I found that they were 4 years older than the trailer. Date of manufacture on the axles 1970, the trailer is a '74. And I am 99.9% sure they are the original axles installed. When I contacted the original owner he said the axles had never been replaced. I am the 2nd owner of this trailer. I am not sure how much axles age setting on the shelf but I'm pretty sure some degradation takes place.

[Lumatic]

Also check where the bottom of the wheel well sits compared to the wheel. The top of a 15" rim should be at or below the bottom of the wheel well in an empty trailer sitting level.

[dusty b]

i will crawl under and check and i will see where the rim sets at the wheel well. thanks every one! dusty

[perryg114]

If the arms are pointed upward then the axels are probably shot. When the rim edge is even with the wheel well they are shot. If you jack the trailer off the ground and the wheels drop they are probably ok. Read Andy's article.

Perry

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by perryg114

When the rim edge is even with the wheel well they are shot.

Perry

FYI/ I got brand new axles with 22 degree angle, which is the original factory angle and the top of the rim is about 1/1/2 inches below the bottom of the outside fender well.

[perryg114]

OK well I should have stated on the 70's plus trailers. The 60's trailers had the covered wheel wells. The arms should be parellel to the ground or slightly downward. Andy's article explains it well with pictures.

Perry